to think that the piano teacher should teach DD sight reading before exam...

[Sticklebug]

My DD (10) has been learning piano for 3 years with the same piano teacher, who she really likes.

She did her grade 1 two years ago and got a distinction. Went into exam confidently and loved the experience. She then did her grade 2 a year ago but only got 10 (out of 19) for her sight reading, so despite a 29 (out of 30) for one of her pieces and distinction level in everything else, she got a merit overall. Again, v confident in the exam and happy with the merit (as I was).

So...she has her grade 3 exam in 3 weeks time and her piano teacher is now saying that she is going to fail her sight reading again. The teacher says that all else is distinction level, but that she is 'hopeless' at sight reading. My DD has now become really anxious about the whole thing - says she is too nervious to think when at her lesson and that she is now really nervous about the exam. Yesterday when I picked her up from her lesson her teacher said that she is making lots of mistakes in everything now and in her view it is just an age thing and that she needs to do more practice at home on sight reading.

She practices her sight reading regularly, but I have no musical ability so cannot tell if it is right or not. I am a single parent so no other help at home.

AIBU to think that the piano teacher should be helping her with this, or at least building her confidence with only 3 weeks to go?

ps anyone know of a good piano teacher in the Chichester area????

I'm amazed that someone can learn an instrument without being able to read music properly. My clarinet teacher put me through theory as well as practical, I found the theory so much easier and did a grade higher in that. For me, sight reading was quite easy, it was the scales that gave me problems as I had to actually remember all the notes rather than having something in front of me telling me exactly what to do.

YANBU. You are presumably paying good money to the teacher and part of her job is to improve your DDs skills that need improving. Two weeks before a grade exam is simply not enough time to make a significant impact on a skill like sight reading, I would be very unhappy if I were you. The teacher should be working on your DDs sightreading and setting her sightreading practise as part of her lessons, not as exam coaching. She presumably practices scales, arpeggios and theory throughout the year, not just as exam prep ? If she has been teaching her from Grade 1 then she will be well aware of your DDs weakness in this area. Furthermore just repeating that she's no good at it isn't going to help your DDs confidence is it ?
I don't know of anyone in Chichester I'm afraid but have several piano teacher friends that might be able to recommend if you really do want to change.

OhdearNigel - thanks for your post. It does feel like she has not worked on this at all since the last exam and that the teacher is keen for her to enter the next exam as soon as she knows her pieces (which she learns quickly).

Have just met another piano teacher chatting at a martial arts class and she is going to give her a trial lesson next week to see how they get on - first thing that she asked was what theory level she was on.... Will not change until after the exam, but if DD takes to her then will definitely switch after Christmas (have paid until then)....